UC San Diego to Offer
Nation's First Concurrent
Oceanography PH.D. and MBA Degree
Ph.D. to Come from Renowned Scripps Institution
of Oceanography, MBA from the Rady School of Management
February 13, 2008
By Keri Peckham
The University of California, San Diego, today announced the launch of a concurrent Ph.D./MBA program, to begin in 2008. This is the first concurrent degree program in the country to combine a Ph.D. in oceanography and an MBA.
This collaboration between the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Rady School of Management will enable students to pursue a Ph.D. at Scripps and an MBA at Rady in a coordinated, concurrent program. The concurrent Ph.D./MBA program was developed for students interested in careers where the combination of scientific expertise and management knowledge is particularly important.
“UC San Diego is committed to investing resources across disciplines to create a new educational model,” said UC San Diego Chancellor Marye Anne Fox. “Offering the nation’s first concurrent oceanography Ph.D. and MBA degree is an example of two graduate schools collaborating to provide a one-of-a-kind opportunity for students.”
“The concurrent Ph.D./MBA program offers unique educational value for our student population,” said Scripps Director Tony Haymet. “It combines the strengths of Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Rady School of Management, allowing us to provide a learning environment for students with special interests in ocean and earth science, climate and energy and technology transfer.”
A planning grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation was established in 2005, because of the importance of training leaders who are knowledgeable in both science and management to help preserve the environment. The grant enabled Scripps Oceanography and the Rady School to engage in market research, with faculty, alumni, prospective students and outside experts. There was also interest from prospective students and potential employers in a coordinated program building on strengths of the two schools.
“The research showed that the focus on discovery and impact in both the Rady and Scripps programs would be mutually beneficial for students,” said Rady School Dean Robert S. Sullivan. “This will be a model for other joint Ph.D./MBA programs across the campus. Both schools look forward to welcoming these innovation-driven students to UC San Diego.”
The program structure enables students to craft a program timeline that incorporates their programs at Scripps and Rady. Students will work with faculty advisors in both schools to develop linkages between their Scripps oceanography research programs and the Rady capstone project, Lab to Market, which focuses on the movement of innovations developed through research into the commercial marketplace.
Concurrent degree students will be admitted to Scripps Institution of Oceanography through the normal admissions process. Upon entering Scripps, students may apply to the Rady School in the year preceding their desired commencement of MBA study. These students will need to fulfill requirements in applying for the Rady MBA, including the taking the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT).
After the first MBA year, students will complete an independent study project supervised jointly by Scripps and Rady that will contribute to their doctoral dissertation and the Rady capstone project. In the second MBA year, students undertake normal Rady curriculum including the capstone project, and complete the MBA requirements at the end of the winter quarter.
Upon completion of the MBA requirements, the student will return to Scripps to resume studies and complete the Ph.D.
Media Contacts:
Keri Peckham, Rady School, 858-534-0855
Cindy Clark, Scripps, 858-534-3624
